Parties responsible for gambling policy

The Lotteries Act, which is prepared by the Ministry of the Interior, governs gambling services. Under the Act, the primary objective of gambling policy is to prevent harm.

The Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government includes several entries on the reform of gambling policy. A project (SM053/2023) set up by the Ministry of the Interior will prepare this reform.

Veikkaus Oy is a state-owned limited liability company with special assignment 

Under the Lotteries Act, Veikkaus provides gambling services so as to ensure the legal protection of gambling participants, prevent misuse and crime, and prevent and reduce the economic, social and health-related harm resulting from gambling.

The Prime Minister’s Office is responsible for the ownership steering of Veikkaus Oy. One of the key functions of ownership steering is to ensure that Veikkaus Oy operates in accordance with its special assignment. 

Gambling Administration of the National Police Board monitors gambling services

The National Police Board is responsible for national monitoring of the provision of Veikkaus Oy’s gambling services. This monitoring covers all Veikkaus Oy’s gambling services such as games sales and marketing, the contents and features of gambling games and self-supervision, taking into account, in particular, minors and vulnerable persons.

In addition, the role of the National Police Board is to intervene in the illegal provision and marketing of gambling services and to compile statistics on lotteries.

Work done in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 

Besides the above, gambling services and the prevention of gambling-related harm under the gambling system include the work conducted in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. This work is defined in section 52 of the Lotteries Act and in the Act on Organising Substance Abuse Prevention.

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare carries out this work in accordance with the Ministry’s mandate. The Ministry coordinates the measures to prevent and reduce gambling-related harm at the government level. The Gambling Policy Programme sets guidelines for this work.

The use of Veikkaus Oy’s proceeds

Since the beginning of 2024, Veikkaus Oy’s proceeds have no longer been used for non-profit purposes as laid down in the Lotteries Act. As a result of the amendments to the Act, Veikkaus Oy's proceeds are channelled into universal government income and allocated for paying any items of expenditure in the Budget. Entries are made in the Budget each year for an appropriation corresponding to Veikkaus Oy’s profits shown in the most recently approved financial statement. 

The aim of the amendments is to eliminate the dependency which the activities financed with proceeds from gambling have on the Veikkaus profits, both in terms of finances and the level of appropriations, and to step up the prevention and reduction of harm resulting from gambling.